This invention relates to outdoor cooking equipment of the type which includes a combustibles receptacle in which a solid combustible material, preferably charcoal, may be contained below a food grill. Food items, especially meats, cooked with burning charcoal have a unique and highly desirable flavor which is not obtainable with a cooking apparatus employing a combustible gas such as propane.
However, in cooking large portions of meat (i.e. whole chickens) with a conventional apparatus using charcoal, it is difficult to thoroughly cook the meat to its center without charring the outer parts. Moreover, a bed of charcoal frequently burns out and must be replenished during the required cooking time, which is obviously inconvenient and undesirable.